Sunday, April 1, 2012

Bhutan to Host High Level Conference on Happiness at the UN in New York

-->Sonam Ongmo’s
Blog: http://www.sonamongmo7.com features a video clip titled “Bhutan: Prime Minister holds Press Conference at
the UN”. It is a video clip that should make every Bhutanese proud; my own
heart swelled with pride and smugness, watching it.

The Prime
Minister of a resource-deprived nation of some 600,000 people speaking to
leaders and economists, scholars and spiritual leaders of some 7 billion people
around the world, on happiness is something of a misnomer. And yet, that is
what His Excellency Lyoenchen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley will do, on 2nd
April, 2012. On that day, His Excellency will interpret and, speak on, and propose,
a new economic paradigm for human happiness and wellbeing. This is an event of
colossal significance.

For the human
race, it is as momentous as the invention of religion.

I am proud not
only because we have a Prime Minister who is worthy enough to take center stage
and be able to speak to the very best of the world’s statesmen, intellectuals,
thinkers and visionaries, I am more so because, destiny has chosen one among the
Bhutanese to be the messenger of a brand new philosophy that may yet
save the world from disintegration and collapse.

I
admit that GNH is still a very complex concept that I have not yet fully
understood. My confusion arises out of my conviction that GNH is impossible
without a nation full of people who can claim to have achieved GPH. However, I
have to admit that some things are beginning to dawn on me.

Our
Lyoenchen’s recently introduced GNH-based accounting concept is revolutionary
and a model that every country ought to adopt - in order that they are able to measure their country’s real
achievements. While watching a documentary film titled “The Economics of Happiness”,
I came across a revealing and profound question: “How is it possible that
something produced 10,000 Miles away can be sold at a cheaper price than what
is produced just 5 miles away?” It is impossible and yet, it is true. But it is
true only because lots of other costs have not been factored in, costs that ultimately you
and I have to bear.

The
real gain is when you can achieve something without the need to minus
elsewhere. It is not a gain if it is achieved at the cost of something even
bigger. It is now clear that the ongoing global economic calamity is a result
of the faulty GNP/GDP-based accounting concept that had failed to factor in the
cost of environmental and ecological damages that was being caused in the
course of our relentless pursuit of economic success. Our Balance Sheet and
P&L Account did not provide for cost of depreciation - even though we have
been depreciating our finite resources mindlessly.

His
Excellency the Prime Minister is presenting our new accounting concept at the Conference in New York. I hope the world will wake up and take notice.

Please
join me in congratulating our Prime Minister and wishing him luck on 2nd
April, 2012 during the presentations to the world audience.